


Last Christmas

by payneful_chonce



Category: Little Mix (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 12:37:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6424510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/payneful_chonce/pseuds/payneful_chonce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one in which Perrie gets her heart broken on Christmas, but Jade is there to help her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Christmas

The snow was falling gently and covering the treetops when the students of Paramount Glacier High headed into the skiing resort they were going to be staying at. Perrie Edwards gripped the hand of her best friend, Jade Thirlwall, her bright blue eyes searching the crowds eagerly for a perfect black quiff.  
It was the annual trip that the whole school went on, from the freshmen to the seniors. It was no secret that shy and conservative Perrie Edwards in 10th grade had a thing for the bad boy Zayn Malik, a senior, thus attracting the attention of the bitchy girls in the school. Perrie would have been picked on severely if not for Jade, her best friend who was quite popular.   
Perrie didn’t get why Jade always stuck with her. Perrie didn’t have anything to give her - her father wasn’t even alive anymore, it wasn’t as if she were particularly rich, and she wasn’t popular at all. After all there were tons of other people who wanted to be best friends with Jade. Tons of other people who wanted to go out with the petite brunette.   
A voice drew Perrie out of her thoughts. “According to this card, our room is on the third floor. Room 332.”   
Jade. Perrie always thought she was pretty. Jade and Perrie had been best friends for five years, ever since Jade saw Perrie sitting alone at recess in fifth grade. Back then, Jade was still popular, and had been ever since. She was also the mature one and always knew what to do, even in the worst situations. In a way, Perrie sort of depended on Jade.   
“Let’s go then.” Perrie pushed her glasses up her nose and pulled down her red beanie to cover her messy hair.   
Jade squeezed Perrie’s hand and led her through the crowd of people, which automatically parted for them. Perrie admired that quality about Jade; she had that charismatic air around her that made people look at her a second time. Perrie just sort of faded into the background.   
Jade was loud, gorgeous, confident. Perrie was awkward, shy and paled in comparison next to Jade. At least that was what Perrie thought.   
Perrie was the glow of a candle.   
And Jade was a supernova.   
….  
Jade threw her heavy coat onto her bed. “God, it’s cold out there.” She rubbed her freezing hands together and picked up the coat again, hanging it on a rack in the closet.   
“I hope we get to go to the hot springs around here later,” Perrie replied, taking off her beanie and shaking out her hair. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold, and her glasses were fogged up, obscuring her vision.   
“Later?” Jade let out a laugh and pulled her arms from the sleeves of the second sweater she was wearing. “It’s twelve and it’s supposed to be lights out right now. Well, the seniors may sneak out, but you wouldn’t want to go, would you?”   
Perrie frowned, not liking the slightly patronizing tone that Jade had taken on. “I may want to.”   
Jade shrugged her narrow shoulders and took off another long sleeved shirt, leaving her in a red tank top. How many layers of clothes did that girl wear, anyway? “I’ll go with you, if you want, but we’ll be the only sophomores there. Just saying.”   
Perrie swallowed at the thought of Jade talking to someone else, leaving her there alone with nobody to talk to. Shut up, you’re pathetic, it’s not like she’s your mother. “Never mind.”   
Jade smiled, but only barely. Perrie could always tell when Jade fake-smiled - it was when her eyes took on a dark look and her lips thinned out into a flat line. The petite brunette was doing it now. “You were going to go there for Malik, weren’t you?”   
Jade was popular, which meant she had more chances to talk with the upperclassmen, unlike Perrie, who only had Jade to talk to. Seriously, Perrie didn’t even know why Jade still talked to her. “Maybe.”   
Jade sighed. “You know you can talk to me about anything, yeah?”   
“Of course,” Perrie said, confused about why Jade had suddenly become so sentimental. “I talk to you about everything already.”   
Jade nodded. “I just -” she stopped herself, biting at her bottom lip. “I just don’t think Malik is good enough for you.”   
“Ha, he doesn’t even know I exist,” Perrie said sarcastically, wiping her glasses on her sweater, making the lens even dirtier. Jade took the glasses from her and quickly cleaned the glasses with a tissue before handing it back to Perrie. “No one does, actually.”   
Jade snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. A lot of people notice you. I do. I think you’re gorgeous, you’re smart, what’s not to like about you.”   
“But you don’t count! You’re my best friend.” Perrie turned around and hung her vest onto a clothes hanger, not catching the hurt look in Jade’s eyes.   
….  
Perrie hurried down the hall while carrying her laundry, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Jade was in their room doing god-knows-what and Perrie certainly didn’t want to attract attention. Judging by the smoke puffing out from one of the rooms, someone was smoking, and for once, Perrie was glad that she didn’t have a sense of smell. They had been skiing today, and as expected, Jade was a pro at it. They went down the bunny slopes at first, and Perrie had already tripped onto her face.   
But eventually, with Jade’s help, they made it to the steeper slopes and had a lot of fun. Lost in her thoughts, Perrie turned a few corners and squinted. The hallway didn’t look familiar. Was this even the third floor? Perrie backtracked and ended up staring at a dead end. She hunted in her pockets for her phone and came up with nothing. Crap.   
“Are you lost?” Perrie would’ve recognized that voice anywhere. Deep, with the faint trace of an accent.   
“Actually, I am,” Perrie croaked, feeling her cheeks flame as she looked at Zayn. Zayn with his perfect hair, Zayn with his long-lashed eyes, with his straight nose, deep brown irises, and stubble lining his jaw. “Do you know where room 332 is?” Props to me for not stuttering. Or crapping my pants.   
“What are you doing on the fourth floor then?” Zayn’s dark eyes were amused as he took Perrie’s bag of laundry and wrapped an arm around Perrie’s shoulders, making the blonde blush again. “I’ll walk you back.”   
“Thanks.” Say something, you idiot! “Um, I’m Perrie.”   
“I know,” Zayn said, a smirk rising on his face. “And you know I’m Zayn.”   
Was this going to get any more embarrassing? Perrie just tried to not focus on Zayn’s arm on her shoulders, and instead shrugged. “Doesn’t everyone?”   
“Who are you rooming with? I’m with Niall, you might know him.”   
Niall Horan, the class clown of the senior class. “I heard of him, yeah. I’m with Jade Thirlwall.”   
Zayn nodded. “I know her. Isn’t she the one you always hang out with?”   
He knows who I hang out with? Inside, Perrie was secretly jumping up and down and doing a happy dance, but she kept her cool on the outside. “Yup. We might try the steepest slope tomorrow. The black diamond.”   
Zayn raised his eyebrows, sounding impressed. “Wow, that one is tricky. Be careful. Speaking of skiing, have you tried the trail beside the black diamond? It’s pretty sick. Niall and I tried it and it was so fun.”   
As they walked back towards room 332, Perrie found out more about Zayn than she had in the seven months that she had a crush on him. He was very sweet to her and even gave her his coat when she was shivering. When they finally arrived at Perrie’s room, it was eleven and Perrie had lost track of time.   
“Thanks for walking me back,” Perrie said, her hand on the doorknob. She didn’t want to stop talking to Zayn. She wanted to spend more time with him.   
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” Zayn ran a hand through his hair. “Um, would you like to hang out tomorrow? At the cafe out back?”   
Perrie’s blue eyes widened. “As in, a date?”   
Zayn nodded while a blush spread across Perrie’s cheeks. “Sure. I mean, I’d love to. Thanks, Zayn.”   
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Zayn asked after they had switched numbers.   
Perrie nodded and let herself in her room quietly, closing the door softly so she didn’t wake Jade. The room was pitch black and she could hear Jade’s soft breathing. Perrie walked forward, her hands brushing the surfaces of objects so she wouldn’t bump into them. Everything was going well until she stubbed her foot on the base of the bed, letting out a yelp of pain.   
Jade stirred. “Pez?”   
The light came on, and they both squinted, trying to adjust to the light. “Where were you?”   
“Doing my laundry.” Perrie lifted her bag and set it down on the floor. She quickly stripped down to her tank top and shorts and got into bed, pulling her comforter over her head. “Guess what, Jade?”   
“Mm?” Jade shifted in her bed. “Pez, is it okay if I cuddle with you tonight? It’s awfully cold here.”  
“Sure,” Perrie agreed, momentarily forgetting about Zayn and what she was going to say. “Here.” She opened her arms and let Jade crawl under the blankets beside her. It was a single bed, but Perrie and Jade were both pretty slim, so it was a perfect fit if they squeezed in beside each other.   
“What were you going to say?” Jade threw an arm around Perrie’s waist and snuggled into her.   
“Zayn asked me out!” Perrie said excitedly, and she felt Jade stiffen beside her.   
“That’s great.” Somehow, Jade’s tone lacked her usual enthusiasm.   
“What’s wrong?” Perrie turned her head to look at her best friend, noticing how close they were. Jade’s pupils were blown wide. “I know you don’t like him, but he’s not what you think he is, I promise.”   
Jade took a deep breath and turned away. “I don’t...dislike him. I just….” she sighed. “I’m happy for you, Pez, I really am. I hope you’ll enjoy your time together.” Perrie tried to think of something to say, but Jade’s breaths had slowed down to a steady pace. Instead, Perrie leaned over and turned off the lights before falling into a deep sleep.   
….  
It was almost Christmas; it showed on the red and green mugs of the cafe Perrie and Zayn were currently at. They had been talking for two hours and time seemed to fly by for Perrie. She learned that Zayn’s parents were also divorced, and that he had a little sister. He made Perrie feel good and she was completely under his spell.   
“It was great hanging out with you today,” Zayn said as he walked Perrie back to her room. “You’ll call me if you want to hang out again, yeah?”   
“Sure,” Perrie said, mesmerised by Zayn’s captivating eyes. Perrie hunted for her key card in her pocket and was about to slide it in the door lock when Zayn grabbed her wrist gently and turned her towards him. Perrie closed her eyes as his lips met hers gently. They were soft and tasted of peppermint. When Zayn wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, Perrie’s lips parted, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue inside her mouth. A moan began to escape Perrie’s lips before the sound of a bag hitting the ground made them break apart.   
It was Jade. “I’m sorry,” the brunette muttered, bending to pick up her bag of laundry. She shouldered past Perrie and shoved the card in the lock, disappearing inside the room. Perrie gave Zayn an awkward smile. “I should go.”   
“Yeah, goodnight.” He was gone before Perrie even replied back. Perrie hurried into her room worriedly.   
“Jade? Are you okay?” The brunette was running her fingers through her hair, and Perrie noticed that her cheeks were bright red. She figured that it had to be embarrassing for Jade to catch them kissing. Perrie’s cheeks glowed as well as she subconsciously touched a finger to her lips. My first kiss. She’d read all about it in books, about how there were fireworks or electricity or tingles, but she’d felt none of that with Zayn. She only remembered how his lips tasted like peppermint. And how soft they were.   
“I’m fine,” Jade said curtly. “How was your...date?” She tugged her coat off her frame and tossed it in the closet, not bothering to hang it up. Perrie stared. What was up with her?   
“It was great. We might hang out again soon. How was your day?” Perrie felt slightly guilty because she didn’t spend the day with Jade, but again, Jade had tons of other people she could hang out with. Jade just shrugged and bit at the corner of her lip again, a habit when she was nervous. Perrie always noticed the little things about Jade, how her friend picked at her nails or how the tiny freckle on her cheek disappeared when she smiled.   
“I went out with Leigh and Jesy. You should tag along next time.” Jade pulled off her tank top and threw it in the closet as well. She was wearing a bright purple bra that contrasted against her tan skin. Perrie looked away and swallowed, folding up Jade’s clothes for her.   
“Sure.”   
“Are you going to the Christmas party next week? In the lounge?”   
“I’ll have to shop for some Christmas presents though,” Perrie mused, “And I’ll have to buy you two separate presents. I know how you hate having your birthday present lumped in with Christmas gifts.”   
“I’m surprised that you’ve even remembered that.” Jade brushed past Perrie and threw on a white shirt.   
“Of course I do, you’re the most important person in my life,” Perrie giggled and bumped Jade’s hip with her own.   
Jade smiled and glanced over at Perrie with adoring eyes when she knew the blonde wasn’t looking at her.   
….  
The week passed by quickly. Zayn and Perrie hung out everyday; Zayn asked Perrie out with a rose and a box of chocolates. It was practically what Perrie had read about in every one of her romance novels. It was like living a dream. But for Jade, it was a different story. Perrie caught her best friend sneaking out of the bathroom one day with a cigarette in her hand, but Perrie decided not to question her. After all it wasn’t like Perrie could control what Jade did.   
Christmas shopping. Something that was a sort of chore for Perrie each year, but it felt different this year. She didn’t have a lot of friends. She hadn’t talked to her father since she was four when he passed away due to lung cancer. Her mother worked her arse off for Perrie’s education every single week. Perrie did have a job outside of school which was working as a waitress at a fast food restaurant, but the salary was low and she didn’t like the customers that were always leering at her.   
Perrie bought a crystal globe for her mother. Her mother was always collecting crystal globes each year. Currently, there were six sitting in a row on their windowsill. One with two reindeers, one with a snowman, one with Father Christmas, one with a christmas tree, and one with Mary holding Jesus. Perrie wasn’t particularly religious, but her mother was.   
For Jade’s Christmas present, Perrie bought a necklace with a photo frame hanging from it. A jade was embedded on the outside of the metal, and Perrie knew it was terribly unoriginal. A jade, for Jade? Still, she inserted a photo of her kissing Jade’s cheek inside the photo frame and wrapped it up in green and red wrapping. Then she bought a Christmas card to go along with the present. After that she started shopping for Jade’s birthday present, and settled down on three charms to add to the friendship bracelet she’d given Jade in sixth grade.   
As far as Perrie knew, Jade still wore that thing, so why not add something to the collection? And it wasn’t as if Perrie had a lot of money to spare anyway, and Jade knew that. But for Jade’s Christmas present, it had cost a fucking lot of money, and Perrie was glad that she had worked all those extra shifts for her best friend.   
Perrie still had some money by the time she bought Zayn’s present, which was a keychain with a cup of coffee hanging from it as a decoration, so she headed down the trail to the cafe. The weather was awfully cold, and her glasses kept fogging up with steam.   
“Hullo love.” Perrie entered the cafe and turned with a wide smile on her face to find Zayn standing behind the counter.   
“Zayn! What are you doing here?” Her blue eyes ran over the name tag pinned on his shirt. “Are you working?”   
Zayn gave her a toothy grin. “I’m a senior already, and I got the job today, so why not? What would you like? Treat’s on me.”   
“You don’t have to do that,” Perrie said, blushing. “I can pay for myself.”   
“No, I insist,” Zayn replied. “Your usual gingerbread latte, I believe?”   
Perrie nodded and shuffled from foot to foot, trying to stay warm as Zayn pumped syrup into a cup. The coffee machine rumbled and spewed out the hot liquid, and Zayn plopped the cap onto the cup before handing the cup to Perrie. “Will I see you at the party tonight?”   
“If Jade goes,” Perrie said doubtfully, wondering if she was depending on her best friend a bit too much.   
“I hope I’ll see you there,” Zayn said, grinning as he turned away to attend to the next customer. “I love you.”   
I love you. Simple words with a complicated meaning behind them. It was easy to say them. Everyone said it without thinking too much about those words. Especially Zayn. He said it to everyone, and said it without hesitance.   
But for Perrie those words were everything. It was her first real relationship and she was inexperienced. What she had were the help of the characters in the books she read because she didn’t want to bother Jade, who visibly didn’t like Zayn. “Love you too,” Perrie said hesitantly, testing the words on her tongue, and when Zayn turned back around and gave her a blindingly gorgeous smile, she fell for him even more.   
Perrie turned and headed back toward the skiing lodge. She passed two girls holding hands and sharing a cup of coffee on the way to her room and immediately noticed the puff of smoke coming out of the bathroom. “Jade?” she cracked open the bathroom door to find Jade sitting on the toilet with a cigarette between her fingers. Jade’s eyes widened.   
“Pez! What are you doing here? I thought you were the principal for god’s sake, don’t scare me like that again.”   
“Why are you smoking?” Perrie’s blue eyes flitted down to Jade’s slender fingers and the ugly black stub between them. “It isn’t healthy for you.”   
“That’s what they all say!” Jade threw the cigarette down onto the ground, the guilty expression still on her face. She stomped down on it with her foot and kicked it behind the toilet. “I’ll be fine.”   
Perrie stepped forward pleadingly. “Jade. Don’t, please.”   
Jade didn’t answer; instead she grabbed a bottle of spray and squeezed the nozzle a few times, fanning the air. She stalked out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed. “Jade, you know how I hate seeing you like this. My father died because he smoked.”   
At this, Jade’s eyes darkened and she chewed on her lip. “I know. I just -”   
Instinctively, Perrie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Jade’s skinny frame. “Just try to stop, okay? Please.”   
How could Jade say no? She buried her face in Perrie’s neck and finally let the tears fall. “Okay.”   
Perrie pulled away. “Why are you crying?” Her cheeks were flushed as well.   
“I’ve missed you.” Jade scrubbed at her eyes, embarrassed.   
Perrie never knew that Jade depended on her in any way. She always thought that she was Jade’s burden, Jade’s sidekick that no one ever noticed. “I’m always here.”   
“Hardly, anymore,” Jade muttered, and Perrie knew she was talking about Zayn. As far as Perrie knew, Jade had dated a fair amount of boys in the span of their friendship, but each relationship was shorter than the last.   
“Sorry, Jade,” Perrie gulped, pulling back to look her best friend in the eye. “I’ll just give Zayn his Christmas present tonight and stick by ya, okay?”   
Jade couldn’t help but feel a bit selfish. She knew that Perrie had been crushing on Malik for months, but it fucking hurt to know that the girl she was in love with had fallen for someone else. “No, it’s fine,” Jade said quickly, not meeting Perrie’s gaze. “I’ll find someone else to hang out with. Maybe Leigh or Jesy. I don’t know. Come on, we should pick our clothes for tonight.”   
With the successful topic change, Perrie promptly forgot about what she was going to do at the party, and scurried to find the outfit that she had brought with her. Jade sat back, a bittersweet smile on her face and tried to feel happy for her best friend.   
Her best friend who had the glossy blonde hair and deep blue eyes that you could just fall into. The cute little dimple on her face. Her pink lips. Her ivory skin, the freckles on her shoulders. Everything added up to the girl that Jade was in love with, but could never have. Perrie never seemed to notice how Jade looked at her with complete adoration. Never seemed to notice how Jade always stuck by her, even when there were tons of other people that she could be friends with - at least that was what Jade thought, but Perrie noticed all of these things. She just didn’t think much of it.   
An hour later, Jade straightened Perrie’s top and pulled the straightener through the last of the blonde’s curls. “You look pretty.”   
“Thank you,” Perrie said with a warm but self conscious smile as she squinted at herself in the mirror. Her face felt bare and naked without the thick glasses to cover it. Crap, my eyes look too big compared to my nose and mouth. I look weird.   
“Stop squinting at yourself, have a bit more confidence.” Jade grabbed Perrie’s wrist gently and turned her away from the mirror. Perrie snorted.   
“Easy for you to say, you’re gorgeous without makeup already.” Perrie’s eyes drifted down to Jade’s flushed cheeks and immediately thought that Jade was embarrassed at her compliment.   
“Ha ha,” Jade said weakly and ran a hand through her thick brown hair. “Malik will be all over you tonight.”   
A smile broke out on Perrie’s face and she nudged Jade’s shoulder. “He’s sweet, really. I swear.”   
Jade just bit down on her lip again and shrugged. “Stay happy, alright?”   
They headed out of their room and took the elevator down to the lounge, where the party had already started. Since it was a school trip, there were chaperones, and it was fucking boring. There were teachers every five feet and no one could do anything fun. Jade was pulled away the second she stepped in the lounge, casting a helpless glance at Perrie. A few moments later though, she reappeared at Perrie’s side. “You know why most of the people are missing?”   
“What?” Perrie took a sip of the punch and made a face.   
“The real party’s in the cabin behind the lodge...you wanna go?” Jade raised an eyebrow. Perrie glanced around the room for Zayn, but he was nowhere to be seen. She reasoned that he was probably at the other party, so she nodded. Jade and Perrie slipped out of the room again and trekked the frosty path to the cabin behind the rows of trees behind the lounge.   
The pulsating lights were covered by the thick leaves of the tall pines, so it was probably why no one had come to check on them yet. A tall blonde lad was standing outside the door, and his face lit up with recognition when he saw Jade. “Thirlwall,” he said respectfully, even though Jade had to be at least two grades below him.   
“Hi Hemmings,” Jade grinned, tugging on Perrie’s hand as he opened the door for them. The heat hit Perrie, and instinctively Perrie reached up to wipe her glasses, only to find that she wasn’t wearing them. Jade giggled at what a dork Perrie was.   
The two girls stood there in the foyer for a few moments, just smiling at each other. Then Perrie shook her head to clear her mind and blinked. “Am I supposed to be meeting Zayn?”   
Hurt flashed across Jade’s features and disappeared so quickly that Perrie wasn’t sure that it even existed in the first place. “Um, yeah, I think so. You should go find him, yeah? I’ll just be hanging around.”   
“Oh, okay...But before I go…” Perrie fumbled in her bag. “Merry Christmas.” She presented the small wrapped present to Jade, whose eyes were wide, because honestly, Jade had expected Perrie to have forgotten all about her.   
“Oh my god, thank you Pez….your gift is back in our room though,” Jade said out in a rush, trying not to sound too excited.   
“It’s no problem...have fun, okay?” Perrie leaned forward and pecked Jade on the cheek lightly before heading into the other rooms of the cabin, leaving Jade there, blushing red.   
Perrie walked past a couple that was making out and searched the entire cabin. She found several drunk freshmen giggling to themselves in the bathroom; the living room was crowded with dancing people as she pushed her way to the kitchen, her finger poised over the “call” button on Zayn’s number.   
Where is he? He said he’d meet me at the Christmas party. He might’ve thought I knew about the other party, I guess. Perrie opened the door to the kitchen, and her eyes widened.  
Zayn had a blonde girl backed up against the kitchen counter, their lips locked, and his hands were everywhere on her body. As Perrie watched, stunned, the other girl wound her hands in Zayn’s jet black hair and set the drink she was holding onto the counter. It was like a living nightmare. Bile suddenly rose up in Perrie’s throat, and she dropped her phone and Zayn’s present.   
The blonde girl and Zayn broke apart to find Perrie bending to pick up her phone. “I’m s-sorry for interrupting,” she choked out.   
“Perrie….,” Zayn said, holding his hands out to her. Perrie could only stare at him as the tears made their way past their waterline. “Gigi, I think you should go.”   
The other blonde girl ran out of the room with her tail between her legs. Perrie stared up at Zayn. “Why?”   
“I - I don’t know,” Zayn sighed, running his hands through his hair agitatedly. Perrie was reminded of how much the gesture looked like Jade’s. “It wasn’t as if we were serious, anyway.”   
Perrie gulped down the lump in her throat, and instead of answering, she ran out of the kitchen, slamming right into Jade who let out a surprised yelp. Her chocolate brown eyes widened at the sight of Perrie.  
“I know I’m a mess,” Perrie sobbed as Zayn came following her through the door. Jade’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the older male and she stormed up to him, even though he was at least a year older than her and topped her by two heads.   
“What did you do.” her normally soft voice was cold and oozed contempt.   
Frustrated, Zayn tugged on his hair. “I -I don’t know! Me and Gigi were just fooling around -”   
“Fuck you,” Jade said quietly and punched him in the face. Normally, Jade didn’t let her emotions get the better of her, but this had pushed her past her breaking point. Perrie crying made Jade upset, and to think that Malik had been the cause of it all - Jade just couldn’t help herself.   
Zayn went down, clutching his jaw and spitting out a string of curses. Jade turned back to Perrie, who was watching them both with her mouth open, and ignored the crowd which was rapidly gathering around them. “C’mon Pez, let’s go.”   
“Don’t you want to stay? I can go back by myself.”   
“No,” Jade said forcefully. “Let’s go.”  
Frightened, Perrie let Jade drag her out into the snow and back to the lodge. When Jade kicked open the door of their room, Perrie couldn’t stay silent any longer. “I’m sorry.”   
Jade’s eyes were still dark with anger. “What?”   
“I’m sorry for being such a shitty best friend! I’ve been fucking selfish these past few weeks because I was so caught up with Zayn,” Perrie cried and buried her head in her hands. “I’ve been so fucking unfair to you, you’re always so nice to me and you’ve always cared about me, and I just - I just went running after Zayn. Jesus.”   
Jade just shook her head and walked closer to Perrie, wrapping an arm around the blonde’s waist. “Look, I understand. It was your choice, and I’m always going to be here for you no matter what. I know you care for me, too. But never ever ditch me for a guy ever again, yeah?” She was just teasing, but by Perrie’s nod, Jade could tell that she’d taken it seriously.   
“You really liked him, didn’t you,” Jade questioned as they climbed into bed together for the second time that week.   
Perrie just shrugged and nudged Jade’s shoulder with her cheek. “I read about all kinds of stuff like that in the books, and it just seemed too good to be true.” Her cheeks glowed red at the confession. “I thought Zayn was The One.”   
Jade couldn’t help but let out a little giggle, as “the One” had been a joke between them when Jade started going out more. “Probably not, huh?”   
“I’m happy right now, just being with you,” Perrie sighed and giggled, too. “Your feet are cold.”   
“So are yours.” Jade threw a leg over Perrie’s thighs and snuggled deeper into the blonde. “Are you still sad over him?”   
Perrie sighed and stared up at the roof. “Like he said, it wasn’t even serious. I guess I was just….inexperienced.” Her cheeks glowed red at her confession.   
Jade just laughed at how cute Perrie was. “It’s okay to be ‘inexperienced’ Pez, you’ll find someone that you deserve someday, I hope.”   
“I love ya,” Perrie said without hesitation. She could always talk to Jade without stuttering or tripping over her words. There were no secrets between them - at least that was what Perrie thought, and Perrie was free to express her thoughts without Jade judging her. And that was what she loved best about her friend.   
“I love you too,” Jade said sincerely, turning her face away to hide her blush.  
Outside, the snow sprinkled down in tiny white flakes, covering everything in sight. Perrie sighed in contentment and smiled at Jade. 

….. 

A whole year had passed before Paramount Glacier High returned to the skiing lodge again. Perrie had matured quickly in the past year, and she didn’t feel like the gangly girl she was a year ago. The remains of acne had disappeared from her face, she wore contacts now, and usually didn’t stutter during conversations. Her body had grown from an awkward girl’s to a young woman’s. Also, she had an easier time making friends now, which made her generally well-liked.   
Boys were chasing after her as well. After her experience with Zayn, Perrie had started going out as well, but like Jade, she had never found someone who truly understood her.   
“Hey Perrie,” she heard Jesy’s voice call from behind her. Perrie had met Jesy and Leigh-Anne through Jade, and recently they had started hanging out together. It was a nice change from last year, when Perrie had no other friends besides Jade.   
“What’s up?” Perrie turned to find Jesy smiling at her.   
“Are you going to try out the black diamond again? It’ll be fun.” Jesy was bundled up in several layers of clothes, but Perrie was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the crowded lobby.  
“Sure. Where’s Jade?” Perrie stood up on her tiptoes to look for her best friend. The petite brunette was partially hidden from Perrie’s field of vision, but no one could miss the eye-catching ombre mane that Jade had. Perrie quickly wove through the crowd and grabbed Jade’s wrist. Jade turned with a surprised expression on her face, and relaxed when she saw that it was Perrie.  
“Oh, it’s you. Where are we going?” Jade asked as Perrie dragged her through the mob.   
“We’re going skiing. I have to get dressed so can you grab our skis?” Perrie turned around suddenly to look Jade in the eye, and Jade was struck by how much her friend had matured throughout the year. Perrie’s shy gaze had been replaced by something a bit more….intense, and Jade liked it. Her feelings for Perrie hadn’t died down either; in fact, they were growing stronger, if possible. Jade treasured every moment she shared with the blonde, because it was only a year and a half before they had to go their separate ways if they chose different colleges.   
“Yeah, sure. Come on?”   
Perrie nodded and let go of Jade’s arm. Jade immediately missed the feeling of Perrie’s warm skin on hers. Jesus, I sound needy, fucking stop it Thirlwall.   
Together the two girls made their way to their room which was on the fourth floor this year. Perrie threw on a sweater and her coat, while Jade packed up their skiing equipment. The friendship bracelet that Perrie gave her jingled slightly, attracting the attention of the blonde.   
“You still wear that?” A pleased smile rose on Perrie’s pink lips.   
Jade nodded. “Yeah...it’s pretty.”   
“Doesn’t it get boring though, getting the same birthday presents each year?” Perrie asked, stuffing the skiing equipment in their bags. Perrie took Jade’s hand, and together they walked down four flights of stairs to where Jesy and Leigh were waiting for them.   
“Nope, it’s special to me.”   
“Took you guys long enough,” Leigh teased, and the four of them took the cable cars to the bunny hills first, where they would warm up for the black diamond. Jesy, being fiercely competitive, challenged Leigh-Anne to a race, while Jade and Perrie just looked at each other and laughed.   
“You ready, Pez?” Jade glanced over at Perrie, who nodded and shot her a beaming smile, and both of them took off down the hill. The cold wind was exhilarating, and Perrie let out a loud whoop. Jade yelled out in delight as well - until they slammed into each other, and tumbled to the base of the hill in a tangle of limbs and skiing equipment.   
Everything was silent for a while. Perrie felt a weight on her stomach and groaned; when she saw it was Jade, looking disheveled and confused, she couldn’t help but giggle. “What were we doing?”   
Jade just shook her head, smiling, and gazed down at Perrie, admiring the sight of the flustered girl underneath her. Perrie’s cheeks were tinged a light pink, and her blue eyes reflected the color of the sky above them. Snowflakes had landed lightly in her blonde hair, and the playful smile on her face made her seem younger. “Jadey?”   
“Huh?” Jade hadn’t realised that she’d zoned out.   
“Are...Are ya going to get off me,” Perrie said, reluctantly. She didn’t know why she wanted Jade to keep straddling her. She didn’t know why her gaze seemed riveted to Jade’s lips. She didn’t know why Jade suddenly looked….different to her in that moment. Her smile seemed brighter and happier, her eyes seemed more playful, and everything about Jade just screamed beautiful.   
It almost seemed like Perrie could fall into Jade’s dazzling brown eyes. Jade had always complained about her eye color, that she wished she had blue eyes like Perrie’s, but Perrie had never understood why Jade disliked her brown eyes. Brown, like chocolate, brown, like sunlight filtering through cognac, brown, speckled with light shades of hazel and gold. Perrie thought Jade’s eyes were beautiful.   
“Oh, sure,” Jade said, quickly climbing off Perrie and dusting off the snow on her coat with her hands. She started to reach out a hand when she realised that Perrie was still lying on the ground. “Are you okay?” Jade knelt down beside Perrie, and leant over her.   
“Your eyes,” Perrie replied, still drifting in her thoughts. “They’re beautiful.”   
Jade blushed hard. She couldn’t help it - she was infatuated with Perrie for years, what did you expect her to do? “Thanks, I guess,” she said modestly. To be honest, she was surprised, because Perrie rarely gave out compliments.   
Jade was even more surprised when Perrie sat up and pressed their lips together. Jade melted right into the kiss. Right into Perrie’s arms, right into Perrie’s fruity and vanilla scent, her mind was screaming this is a dream this is a dream, and thoughts scattered out of Jade’s brain as she was unable to fathom what was happening. “P-P-Perrie,” Jade choked out, pulling back as Perrie’s eyes widened as well, realising what she had done. Both of their cheeks were flushed, and Jade hadn’t even realised that she was in Perrie’s lap.   
“Oh my god, I’m sorry,” Perrie stammered, unable to believe that she had just kissed her best friend. The idea was just so foreign and sudden, and by the shocked look on Jade’s face, Perrie thought that Jade was disgusted with her. “Jade, I -”   
Before Perrie could fully formulate an apology, Jade wrapped her arms around her neck and crashed their lips together; Perrie leaned back on her elbows as Jade straddled her, never breaking the kiss. Jade swiped her tongue across Perrie’s bottom lip, causing Perrie’s lips to part; their tongues danced together in harmony. Perrie ran her fingers through Jade’s hair and sighed out in pleasure. “Just kiss me,” Jade whispered against Perrie’s mouth.   
All of the emotions that Perrie hadn’t felt when she kissed Zayn - she felt them at once now, chaotic and burning. Butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Tingles running down her spine. Electricity leaping across her lips. Sparks dancing across her skin. Everything felt right.   
Perrie giggled when Jade’s cold fingers brushed her hipbone, under the layers of her clothes. “Why are you laughing?” Jade murmured, but a smile was on her face as well at Perrie’s adorable expression.   
“Your fingers are cold,” Perrie answered, pressing Jade’s fingers to her warm cheeks. Jade just shook her head and bumped her nose with Perrie’s, their breaths mingling in the space separating them. Perrie caught Jade’s lips between hers again and tentatively touched the side of Jade’s face with her gloved fingers, and in response, Jade ground her hips into Perrie’s while running her gentle fingers through Perrie’s hair.   
“Duh, I’m not wearing gloves like you are,” she mumbled into Perrie’s lips, loving how she was feeling so cold yet so hot at the same time. Jade couldn’t believe that this was actually happening, Perrie kissing her. It seemed surreal.   
Perrie pulled back and smiled at her fondly, making her blush.   
“Why did you kiss me,” Jade asked, not having the slightest inkling why Perrie did it.   
Perrie leaned forward and pecked Jade on the nose. “I think I just realised that what I wanted was right in front of me, all this time.”   
Jade brushed Perrie’s hair out of her face and cocked her head. “You don’t know that I’ve been madly in love with you for four years and counting. How couldn’t you know that just maybe, you belong with me?”   
Perrie blushed madly and lowered her head before Jade placed a finger under a chin, making Perrie look at her. “If you didn’t get that Taylor Swift reference, I’m going to kill ya. Now let’s get out of the snow, or we’re going to die of hypothermia.”   
“That’s my positive Jadey,” Perrie smiled, helping Jade stand up. Jade had to stand up on her tiptoes to press her lips to Perrie’s once more, but it was worth it. Everything was worth it.   
…  
The annual Christmas party in the cabin behind the lodge. Perrie recognized Luke from last year - even though he’d graduated, it seemed like last year’s seniors were still welcome. The thought made an unpleasant memory surface in her mind, but at least Luke still recognized her. “Hey Perrie, hi Jade, long time,” he greeted.   
“Hello Luke,” the two girls chorused and headed inside the cabin. Jade immediately went to get Perrie a drink.  
Perrie had asked Jade to be her girlfriend when they walked up the hill after their snowy tumble. Immediately, Jade had said yes and teased Perrie yet again for not realising Jade’s feelings for her a long time ago, but Perrie knew that Jade was ecstatic. They both were.   
In the meantime, Perrie wandered around the cabin, saying hi to various people she recognized. The populars were clustered around the jacuzzi. The nerds were playing some board game in the parlor, and the jocks were kicking some football in the snow. But most people were drinking in the living room, and Perrie figured it was where her girlfriend was.   
She stepped past a drunken boy and went in search for Jade. If Perrie hadn’t been looking for Jade intently, she would’ve avoided the body that she was going to plow into. But she didn’t. Instead, Perrie bounced off the hard platform and landed on the ground, right on her bum.   
Angrily, Perrie stood up, ready to tell the other person off. “Jesus, don’t you -” Her blue eyes widened as she recognized the tall lad standing in front of her. “What are you doing here!”   
“Uh, hey Perrie,” Zayn said, running a hand through his hair once again, a gesture that Perrie had found hot before, but now she felt endlessly annoyed. “Nice to see ya. You look pretty.” And he meant it, too. Perrie didn’t seem like the inexperienced, shy girl that he had met the previous year. She seemed more confident and in control.   
“I can’t say the same for you,” Perrie retorted. She tried to act like she didn’t care, but honestly, she couldn’t. She felt like Zayn had taken advantage of her when she didn’t know anything. She felt cheated, no pun intended.   
“Perrie, please. I’ve thought about my past actions, and I admit that what I did was wrong. Although we only had a few weeks together, I want to know you more. We would be perfect.”   
When Perrie looked at him, she could only see the blonde girl - Gigi - reflected in his eyes. She took a deep breath and said the one word that she was unable to say to him last year. “No.”   
“What?” An incredulous expression crossed Zayn’s face.   
“What part of ‘No’ don’t you understand?” Suddenly Jade’s hand was on the small of Perrie’s back, sending tingles running down Perrie’s spine again. Unconsciously, a smile spread across Perrie’s face at her girlfriend’s touch.   
“And she’s taken. By me, fortunately,” Jade smirked and pressed a light kiss to the side of Perrie’s neck, making Perrie’s cheeks flush. It was evident that Jade had Perrie wrapped around her little finger.   
“B-But how -” Zayn couldn’t seem to formulate a sentence as his eyes darted between the two girls.   
“I think you should’ve thought of this last christmas. I fucking gave you my heart and you gave it away to someone else. This year, I’m going to give my heart to someone special.” Perrie gave him a sweet smile and placed a kiss on Jade’s lips. “C’mon, Jadey, I think we should start heading back. There isn’t anything fun to do here, anyway.”   
Jade glanced up at Perrie affectionately as if Zayn didn’t exist. “Let’s go, Pez. I know you’d rather watch Game of Thrones with me than stay at this shithole of a party, anyway.”   
“You know me too well.” Perrie turned away from a dumbstruck Zayn. With her free hand, she pushed open the back door, and the two girls emerged out into the chilly night air. Above them, the stars twinkled and winked down at them. Perrie squeezed Jade’s hand, knowing that Jade truly understood Perrie, and would always stand by her no matter what.   
This year would be nothing like last Christmas. Perrie was going to give her heart to someone special. And that special someone would be Jade Thirlwall.


End file.
